Kanian Alithian Church
| polity = | governance = President of Kania | structure = | leader/moderator = | leader = President of Kania | director = | fellowships = | associations = None | area = Republic of Kania | headquarters = Port Kane | founder = Roger Kane | founded_date = 18 November 1694 | founded_place = | separated_from = | parent = | merger = | separations = | hospitals = 383 | nursing_homes = 42 | aid = | congregations = 130,658 | members = 7,447,514 | ministers = | missionaries = 81,913 | temples = | primary_schools = 6,582 | secondary_schools = 741 | tax_status = Exempt | tertiary = 62 | other_names = Chruch of Kania | website = http://churchofkania.org.ka/ | footnotes = }} The Kanian Alithian Church ( : Kanian Vérité Eglise; : קיין אמת כנסייה) is the state church of Kania. The church professes strict faith guided by the Alithian teachings of Thaddeus Kane, and regarding all other churches to be of lower standing, does not associate with any associations. A considerably younger church by the standards of the world, the Alithian Church teaches the doctrine that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, that the alterations to the Bible over the centuries—such as the removal of God's name; have been the result of an attempt to prevent true understanding of Christianity. The Alithian Church plays an active part in the governance of Kania, as it is under the direction of the President of Kania, who is regarded as being responsible by the majority of Kanians for directing the church properly. Etymology The term "alithian" comes from the Greek word αλήθεια (alí̱theia) meaning "truth", and was first used in 1694 when Bishop Thaddeus Kane explained that the churches of the world had long been misleading the followers of the Christ. Thus, upon the formation of the church, Kane used the word "alithian" in the name to denote the fact that his followers believe that they were one of the few people with the real knowledge of the Bible at their disposal. The term "Kanian" was used to further alienate the church from others that stated that they too had the "truth", and to open the way for other churches that may wish to join the Kanian Alithian Church. Doctrine Trinity The church does not believe in the Trinity, citing numerous scriptures to provide the basis of this belief. Several Kanian ministers quote Psalm 83:18 which states: "You, whose name is Jehovah, you alone are the Most High over all the earth." This backed up by John 17:3 and Galatians 3:20 serve to defend the church's refusal to acknowledge a trinity. The church also states that nowhere in the bible is a trinity ever mentioned, with God and Jesus Christ described as two seperate and intelligent people with independent thought. Also, John 7:16-18 highlights the fact that Jesus himself stated quite clearly that nothing he taught was of his own making, but that all of it came from God who sent him. Likewise, in regards to the holy spirit, the Church as well as the Bible make it clear that it is a tool used by God to work out his designs and his will. Nowhere in the Bible is it described as independent of God's will or even capable of intelligent thought or reason. Though called God's "active force", it is a force used much in the same way a tool would be, only serving as the method in which God accomplishes his will. For instance, when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, he stated in Luke 1:35 that "Holy spirit will come upon you, and power of the Most High will overshadow you. For that reason also what is born will be called holy, God’s Son." Death and hell Simply put, the Kanian church neither believe in an afterlife nor an eternal damnation to hell. Citing the scripture of Acts 24:15, the church holds to the truth of a resurrection of all men, which in turn allows for the chance to know and accept God. Because of this, the church does not believe in a life in heaven after death, which is a belief held by virtually every Christian church in the world with the exception of a rare few. Psalm 146:4 says that "His spirit goes out, he goes back to his ground; in that day his thoughts do perish"; this scripture effectively stating that when a person dies, their spirit does not move on to another realm of existence to live, but as Ecclesiastes 12:7 brings out, it "returns to the true God who gave it". Regarding Hell, the church believes the matter to be a misconception in other churches due to the terminology and wording of a few scriptures that ultimately resulted in confusion for a few Christian leaders. The bible makes clear that the dead are dead, without thought or consciousness. Hell itself was the Latin translation of the Greek word Hades, which it turn was a translation of the Hebrew word Sheol. Sheol was the common burial ground of all dead people, where the Jews would lay their dead in tombs, or sheol. The word was used by many Bible writers as a references to dead, such as when Job spoke of dying to ease his pain. In short, hell is sheol, not a fiery place of torment as it has been made out to be, but the common burial ground of all human kind until resurrection. In contrast to hell is Gehenna. The church states that Gehenna is a symbolic location, since death and hell that are thrown into it cannot literally be burned. Revelation 20:14 describes Gehenna as the "lake of fire which means a second death", meaning that death from which there is no hope of coming back to life. The church states that real life Gehenna was an ancient garbage dump used by Jerusalem to burn their waste and refuse. The dead bodies of criminals, animal carcasses, and all other filth were cast into it. Jesus used Gehenna as a proper and fitting description of everlasting destruction. Used as a symbol of hope in the church, Gehenna represents a place where Jesus would hurl death and hell, the common burial ground of humanity, into forever, wiping out death and granting everlasting life. Willful and unrepentant sinners would also be sent there never to return to life, and complete unaware of their fate, wiped from existence as far as God would be concerned. Thus, hell is a simple term used to describe the inevitable future of human beings until the prospect of everlasting life is fulfilled, with those in hell resurrected into that unending life. Marriage The Althian Chruch has made very clear its view of marriage, stating that it is a sacred arrangement set up by God between one man and one woman. As the bible brings out, marriage was original purpose was the reproducing of human beings on earth. It was the ordained vehicle for the multiplication of humanity. It was also designed to serve as a permanent bond between a man and a woman, something the Church continuously makes known to critics. Marriage was also to help both in the couple be helpful to the other, and grow together in a loving relationship as they worked out the will of God. As man was created first, women were created to compliment the men, being made from man to help man. In fact, God stated that in Genesis 2:21: "That is why a man will leave his father and his mother and he must stick to his wife and they must become one flesh.", meaning that monogamy was the sole standard for marriage in the eyes of God. Marriage's main purpose was the creation of children, with numerous examples in the Bible reinforcing this fact, as meaning women described in the Bible wished to have children as part of the marriage, and many arrangements were established to worked out the desire should the husband die beforehand. As marriage was an important matter to the family or tribe in the Bible, arranged marriages were commonplace, with parents handling a marriage for the child, knowing better and having the experience needed to chose the best mate for them. Romance was often a driving force in such matters. Marriage to non-Althians is frowned upon, as it is viewed as a form of disloyalty. Marriage to a virgin woman outside of the church is permitted, but so long as she has let go of her past religion and joined the church. In the church, the man is the head of the household, owner of the wife and family, and all matters of leadership left in his hands. If he feels the family could be affected for the worst, he can annul his marriage with his wife or that of his daughter. The Bible reinforces this matter, though places limits on divorce. Only three manners or divorce are recognized by God, only one allows for re-marriage. If a spouse is refusing the other the ability to worship, they can divorce. If the spouse is harming the other, they can divorce. If the spouse has cheated on the other, they can divorce and remarry, as they have annulled the marriage arrangement by defiling the marriage bed. However, as stated, God wishes the marriage to work out the matter and stay together, as he "hates a divorcing." It should be noted that when God created the marriage arrangement, he made no provisions for divorce, as he intended marriages to be permanent. Death was the only manner in which to remarry. Baptism Category:Republic of Kania Category:Alithianism